July Favorites

1. Jean Vest {H&M} {$29.95}

Denim Vest - from H&M

http://www.hm.com/us/s/04TTPW

Vest in washed denim with heavily distressed effects. Chest pockets with flap and button, adjustable tab with fastener at back, and frayed edges around armholes. Slightly shorter at back.

www.hm.com

I'd been wanting a jean vest for quite some time, although the numbers on the price tags usually swayed me towards the "I can wait" thinking. Just a couple of months ago I bit the bullet and purchased one from H&M. It's honestly one of my favorite purchases of my life. It's very versatile and can be worn with anything and is perfect when you wear shirts that don't have thick enough straps to hide your bra straps, but you don't want to wear a strapless bra (or don't have the boobs to hold up a strapless bra lol). It's totally worth the money and after having it for over two months and knowing what I know now, I'd most likely spend $50 or $60 on it.

2. Fossil Wristlet {Fossil} {$30}

Fossil

Or as they call it *insert snobby rich woman voice* a "Key-Per Carryall Case". All snide remarks aside, I freaking love this thing. I can fit my iPhone inside of it, money, change, my permit (soon to be license might I add), and gift cards. Mine isn't this exact pattern as I couldn't find it on their website but in all honesty I'd take any of them in a heart beat. Like most girls, I dreamed of owning a Fossil something, purse, watch, wallet, anything. I ventured into their store when I was at the beach and was very surprised when I saw that it was on sale for $20. I had been looking at similar wristlets at Target that were around $15, so I figured I'd pay the extra five dollars, I mean you pay for the brand, right? Surprisingly when I got to the register it ended up being a little less than $15 including tax and I sure as heck didn't argue. Nothings better then going to pay for something and it ends up being less than you expected.




3. Yes to Tomatoes Acne Spot Stick {Drug Stores} {$9.99}

Yes to

This stuff has been my go to when I get a new pimple for quite a long time now. It's worth every bit of the $10 you pay for it and it lasts for a pretty good amount of time. I've never used a single product that took away my zits faster than this little stick right here. I found it in one of my local drug stores a while back and I when I went to buy one for my friend for her birthday (she uses mine constantly but has yet to find a spare $10 to buy one for herself) I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. Most drug stores sell the Yes to products but none of them sold the acne stick. The drug store I had bought mine at was out of stock and after trying Target and three other drug stores I finally found it at Walmart, so if all else fails, try Walmart.

4. NYC Color Wheel Mosiac Face Powder {Drug Stores} {$4.99}

NYC

I've been using this blush for a little over a year now and I'm pretty sure I'll never be going back to any other brand. My friend directed me to it while I was in Florida after being very disappointed with the CoverGirl blush I had most recently purchased. This stuff works wonders and like most make-up, lasts FOREVER. I bought my first one last August and it's still going strong.

5. American Eagle Boxers {American Eagle} {$12.50}

American Eagle

Ok, don't judge, but my friends and I have this thing for sleeping in boxers. And to be honest, they're like the most comfortable thing ever. I usually buy mine when American Eagle has their entire store 40% off (which is like once a month), because all the times I've gone, it has included boxers making them about $8. Now, you can buy boxers anywhere, but my favorite pairs are all from American Eagle because they usally have funny (and mostly perverted) sayings on them. You'll thank me later.

Have a fabulous day.

A Teenager's Reviews on Today's Popular Songs

I'd really like for this to become a regular thing as I had a TON of fun making this list and writing my own personal reviews. Basically, I've compiled a list of songs that are currently downloaded on many of America's teenage population's iPhones, and I'm telling you my verdict of the song along with a rate which is in parenthesis next to the song title.

Enjoy.

1. Don't Drop That Thun Thun (2/10)

First of all, may I impose the question of, what exactly is a thun thun thun? And why must they repeatedly remind us not to drop it? I can't decide whether it is their lack of vocabulary or the importance of whatever a thun thun thun is that requires them to repeat the phrase, "don't drop that thun thun thun" numerous times. Although catchy, I'm finding that the many MANY many Vines made with this music will lead to the end of this "thun thun thun" era (hopefully).


2. We Can't Stop (5/10)

Somehow I find joy in Disney stars who make these rebellious comebacks that usually end in them shaving their hair and hitting paparazzi cars with an umbrella (uh, hello Brittney Spears). Obviously, Miley Cyrus is no exception and the downhill spiral is commencing. She's already shaved her head and her newest song, We Can't Stop, is clearly supposed to put an end to her innocent Disney career (as if that hasn't already happened). I was a big fan of Hannah Montana and I have no shame about it. I'm not so sure how I exactly feel about Miley's new song as peer pressure makes me want to love it, but my own mind has yet to make a definite decision. Not to mention the music video has left me-how should I say this-more "puzzled" than ever. Whether it's the smoke coming out of the one girl's crotch or the skeleton made out of french fries or maybe even the excessive butt slapping that usually belongs in a music video of a song whose only lyrics you can pick out are words that you wouldn't want to repeat in front of your grandmother. I'm not exactly sure. Whatever is going on in Miley's head, kudos to her for clearly doing whatever she wants.

3. I Love It (5.2/10)

I originally stumbled upon this song many moons ago while (sadly) watching Snooki and JWoww which I (sadly) kind of enjoyed watching. If you're unaware, this is the song that plays during the opening credits/title/theme or whatever it's called of the show. I predicted myself that this song would soon become popular with the help of the Jersey Shore empire and although it took time, here we are. I'm not a fan of overly repetitive lyrics that may or may not be the cause of a bad vocabulary, so their rating will suffer. Also, as a slightly incompetent teenager, I'm not a fan of figuring out Roman numerals so the name of the girl who is featured in the song (Charli XCX) is not in my favor. I do give them credit though at their try of a breakup song that doesn't make you want to eat a gallon of ice cream and watch super sad reruns of Grey's Anatomy (sorry Bruno Mars).

4. #Beautiful (3.7/10)

First of all, is the name of the song pronounced hash tag beautiful or just beautiful? Second of all, hash tags belong on Instagram and Twitter, not song titles. Third of all, could someone inform me on how old Mariah Carey actually is? (After a quick Google search it is confirmed she is 43. You're welcome.) Now, the title of this song just makes me want to punch a wall, throw my phone out the window, and become a nun in the distant lands of Romania. Like seriously, you had to include the hash tag in front of it? And you don't even mention the form of punctuation in your song, so what are you gaining from this? Also, Mariah Carey, you're an amazing singer and man are you gorgeous, but you're 43 years old and the mother of two kids, let's face it, you're probably not as hip as you think. You're very similar to Facebook, people still know who you are, but nobody really "uses" you anymore, not to mention you're trying to bring hash tags to somewhere where they don't belong. Please stick to Christmas music. And I don't really like the song, as encouraging and uplifting as it's supposed to be, I'm just not a fan.

5. Same Love (10/10)

This song speaks VOLUMES on so many levels. I'm a fan of white rappers as they're usually a little more less explicit and easier to understand and Macklemore is my favorite. This song is a different kind of rap too. It's slower so you can take in the lyrics, yet his voice, oh dear Lord, his voice just makes it. I don't know what it is, but I feel like he's right next to me when I listen to this song. I'm just not sure how to explain it. I like how the storyline is personal yet universal. I love the message because whether you are Christian or not, we should all accept and support gays (I'd really really really like to go into this topic later, so look forward to a post coming soon).

And there you have it.

Have a fabulous day.

Making Something Out of Your Life

"What do you want to do with your life?"

If my life was one big FAQ list, this question would be at the top. And a few others that are pretty high up:

"What do you want to do for a career?"

"Where would you like to go to college?"

"Do you intend to stay in your hometown?"

"What's your life's goal?"

Questions, questions, questions. I've gotten most of these very frequently since I started high school. It's like high school was meant for you to find your place in this world, while in all, it probably has quite the opposite reaction.

To be honest, I don't have half these answers. I'm lucky enough that I even know that many.

But these questions really do bring up a very thought provoking topic: what directions do I want my life to go in.

I strongly think that God put me here on a purpose. I feel like He is swaying me towards certain paths of life that aren't exactly traveled by the mainstream American.

And sometimes life seems more bearable when I think that I'm here for a reason.

And to be honest, I haven't had this thought process for long. I was always skeptical of people who said God had lead them to do certian things (ex. adopting kids, picking up everything and moving to a foreign country, mission work). Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to belittle these people's actions or God himself, but I was skeptical on how they had recieved the message. A dream? A feeling? A voice inside their head? 

But then I started to explore options for my life one night. Jobs, colleges, a future family. And things kind of clicked. I got excited. Certain things I found matched me perfectly. And I felt like this is what I wanted to do. This is how I'm supposed to live my life. And somehow I knew that God had something to do with it. I felt like he was pushing me in certain directions. 

I almost feel crazy typing it out. I'm on the beginning path of my finding my lifes purpose, and that's honestly all I want to do. I want to make something out of my life.

Have a fabulous Wednesday. 

Poetry Mondays: The Black Beast

Black fur

tickles my face

by someone with a voice

of a purr. 

Black hair
black eyes
black paws
a soft cry.

He whispers
he hums
his heart beats
like a uniform drum.

Thump
Ba-bump
Thump
Bump

He's a man of many noises
of many actions
of many sounds
of many things.

He roams the house
he does as he pleases
he lurks like a shark
he hides like a worm.

He's the color
of midnight
his eyes glow
like a ring around the moon
so bright.

He thinks
he's the man of the house.
but in reality
he's just an
overconfident little mouse.

He thinks he's a mighty black beast,
but instead,
he's just

a

Cat.


Have a fabulous day.

Rain Rain Go Away

....come again another day.

But seriously.

I swear to all things good, it will not stop raining where I live. My summer could be easily characterized by the rolling thunder and constant drizzle of rain on a roof. Although I seriously enjoy summer thunderstorms, this is almost too much, even for me. 

This picture is the perfect example of the
southern saying that you always know when
it's about to rain because the leaves fold up to
catch all the rain.

This rain is seriously ruining all my summer plans.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Who am I kidding? I don't have any summer plans. Or plans for any other season for that matter.

Although I have gotten one very good thing out of all this rain. I mean these pictures are something else. I honestly have no idea why it's taken me so long to capture the beauty that rain drops give to any element they touch. 

It's quite fascinating.

I hope ya'll are having better weather than we are, but if you happen to have a rainy

day of some sorts, go take some pictures.

Have a fabulous day.

Speaking Your Mind

I've had a Facebook account for a good three years now. Never once did I make a comment on a post that I thought would spark a debate. Never once did I try to put my foot into an argument, whether I knew I could defend myself or not. Never once did I speak my mind on a status that was asking for my opinion on a controversial subject.

Now Facebook has died down in popular over the past year in terms of the amount of teenagers who use it. Most of us have moved on to Twitter and Instagram, although we occasionally venture back on to Facebook. And I did just that the other day, expecting to see nothing more than a couple of "truth is..." statuses and pictures of people's most recent vacations.

But a post caught my eye, and what it said I'd prefer not to go into any detail. Long story short, a kid who only knew the stereotypes of an organization was making an assumption and one that I thoroughly did not agree with. Like I said, I usually don't comment on these things, but I thought, "Hell, why not. Nobody gets on here anyways."

And I did.

I spoke my mind and explained to the kid that the preconceived notion that he has of this orginaztion is not even true. I informed him on what they really do in what I thought was a classy and well thought out response. In all he was bashing an action in his post and not the organization itself, so I thought it would rollover well.

Mistake.

I received a comment from him, his mom, and a lady that I don't even know telling me that it didn't matter because they still did a certian "action" in that organization and the organziation also supported something that their branch of Christianity didn't support. They picked and chewed my response apart and ignored the good things and took the one thing they thought was bad and basically chewed me out about it. And it wasn't even a bad thing, it was just something that their religion did not support although other sections of Christianity have no problem with it. (Sorry if this is getting kind of confusing, just bear with me.)

But now I have this sort of Americano feeling. The quiet people who sit in a chair and sulk in the corner never change the world, ya know? And no, I'm not changing the world by speaking my mind (at this particular time anyhow), but there's just something about using your freedom of speech that makes you feel good. If anything, responding to his post has made me more apt to speak my mind, whether or not I know I'll stir the pot with my comment.

So go out there and comment and speak your mind and support what you believe in and express how you feel. Change the damn world.

Also, anybody know of a good protest nearby, because I'm in the mood to use my first amendment.

Have a fabulous day.

Poetry Mondays: Kindergarten

(Note: I posted this a couple of Mondays ago but Blogger was being a bitch and deleted it for some reason, so I hope you don't mind the repost.)

Ten thousands crayons
all in a box.

Fat sharpened pencils
to write out our thoughts.

Blank paper to fill
with our hearts content.

And tons of well used toys
full of knicks and dents.

It's only the beginning
of your schooling career.

The start of a long journey
full of happiness, rough days, and tears.

It's a milestone on the path
of becoming who you're destined to be.

One more hurdle
before you become free.

As you're parents let go of you
one finger after the other,

As you say goodbye
to your dad and your mother,

You're beginning the journey
that is now due,

The journey that makes
you, you.


Have a fabulous day.

1,000 VIEWS

I started this blog for pure fun. I thought it'd be something cool to do and look back on and a place for me to write. When I was in middle school I wrote stories. I have a laptop sitting in my room that is full of at least twenty five word documents of half written stories. Someday I'll go back and read through them and maybe even pick up where I left off, but this blog has been my new writing outlet.

And I love it.

And I love you! (All ten of you!)

But seriously. I freaked a little bit when I logged on to Blogger and saw this:

Now, 1,000 views really isn't that much especially in comparison to other blogs out there, but never did I think that anyone would see this blog yet alone 1,000 (unless there's someone out there who has viewed my blog a thousand times, either way, I'm thrilled).

And the best part is, is that it can only grow from here.

Have a fabulous day.

Texas Y'all

(Not only did I make a new header, but I also completed the Texas post. I'm crossing things off my to-do list y'all.)

I spent my time last week in Texas. It's definately not one of my favorite cities as I'm not a big fan of the heat I experienced there (or the hotel we were staying at), but it was nice to visit somewhere new. They're a state rich with cultural and many interesting sites to see.

I stayed in San Antonio where I remembered the Alamo, visited Sea World, and toured the river walk. Also if you're ever visiting, be sure to check out a little Mexican store (I say that with no intentions of racism, it was a store that sold many items from Mexico). It sells the coolest little knick-knacks where I bought a neat handpainted skull similar to the ones I've read about in textbooks that are used for Dia de Muertos. I can't exactly give you a street address or anything, but it's on the same road as the next place I'm about to recommend to you, just a little farther down and I'm sure you could ask locals about it. And I also recommend Jackalope Joe's, which is another neat little store who had one of the nicest sales ladies I'd ever met (if you type in Jackalope Joe's San Antonio in Google you can get the address, there's only one).

There's not much more to talk about, but a couple of pictures to share.

*insert childlike chant here*
M-I-SS-I-SS-I-PP-I

Thanks to the riverwalk, there were beauitful
bridges placed everywhere in the city.

And a big shout out to the city of San Antonio for putting on a fabulous firework display. It was hands down the best firework show I'd ever sat through.

For our flight home, we had to get up at 3:30 in the morning, but the view a couple of hours later in the sky was totally worth it. Best sunset of my life and totally something everyone should add to their bucket list.

And sorry for the lack of pictures. I took plenty of them in Texas but most of them were group pictures or pictures of myself/myself and friends and I'm not really that keen on revealing who I am. Usually when I go places I try to take specific pictures for the blog and there wasn't too much time for that. 

But anyways, have  fabulous day.

The To-Do List That Will Never Gets Done

I made myself a mental to-do list last night as I went to bed. It was a list of things that I've been meaning to do for quite some time now.

The list went a little something like this:
1. Make a new header for the blog.
2. Wash the clothes that are sitting in my suitcase.
3. Edit the pictures from Texas.
4. Start writing the Texas blog post and preferably get it published.
5. Bake cookies (this was about the only thing that got done).
6. Vacuum my room.

Like basically all teenagers, I suffer from a disease known as procrastination. And if you've found the cure, please share. And if you don't suffer from this debilitating illness, then you can go screw yourself in a hole. (Edit: after checking over this post, I have realized that that last sentence was a little harsh and inappropriate. Sorry about it.)

One of my favorite pictures of my dog. And I  swear
I wasn't holding her under her mouth so she'd look
at the camera it's just her favorite place to be scratched.

More often than not, my to-do lists roll over to the next day. But why is it that we assume that there will be a next day? I've often heard the phrases, "Oh, that can wait till tomorrow." or "It's alright, there's always next week." We as teenagers and even as humans, have this notion that we are invincible. Not in terms of we can go jump off a mountain and get back up unscathed, but we have this preconceived idea that there's no way we can die tomorrow. Or next week. Or next month. Or next year. Or even in the next ten years.

Statistically, we (as in teenagers) probably won't die very soon. Which is why the stories of people who die young hit hard because we think we're guaranteed a long life and this news snaps us back to reality.

And maybe I didn't finish everything on my list. But I went out and took a couple of new pictures, something that I've been putting off for weeks. I spent a few hours at a neighbor's pool reading a new book I picked up at the library. I got caught up on all my favorite TV shows that I missed while I was in Texas. I had an overdue dinner date with two of my close friends. I did things that were on my personal favorite to-do list, the list of things that are more like wants rather than needs.

And to be honest, we'll never truly mark everything off of our to-do lists. There will always be something that you'll have to wait till tomorrow to finish. They're always be something that you just couldn't finish in that 24 hour period. We are constantly adding new things to make an infinite list, creating the to-do list that will never get done.

So go check things off of your 'want to do' to-do list, because it's always so much more fun.

And if you do wake up tomorrow, remember to make it fabulous.

Poetry Mondays: The Door of Life

What happens when
the door of life closes?
Does it lock,
never to be re-opened?

Can you float
in and out?
Visit the other world,
taking your own route?

Does it hurt,
will it sting,
do you even
feel a thing?

Will I see God,
will I see clouds,
will I see people
standing in a crowd?

How long until
my hourglass
of sand
runs out?

How long until
I rise into
my home
above the clouds?

So many
age old questions
and new one's
too.

That will never be answered
because once I find out
I won't be here
to tell you.


Hope you had a fabulous day.

Feeling Unloved

I made a wish last night at 11:11. Typical white girl, I know. And usually I wish for something stupid like, "I wish that tomorrow will be great"  or "I wish that I make an A on that test". It's usually dumb or trivial things that I wish for, things that have a pretty good chance of happening whether I made that wish or not. But I suprised myself last night.

When I noticed the time on my iPhone, I shut my eyes and sat there for a second or two. What is it that I really want? I actually took into careful consideration over what I was wishing for, as if the wish was guaranteed to happen. And the weird thing was, I didn't try to process what I was wishing for. I didn't neccessarily think about it, I just tried to find what was really bugging me at the moment. Finally, my mind blurted out, I wish that I felt loved.

I wasn't expecting that at all. As crazy as that seems, my mind totally went out on it's own. But when I really thought about it, I was feeling alone and confused and unloved. Those feelings don't come around all too often (thank God) but when they do it stings. It stings all over my body. I get that gut wrenching feeling, the same feeling you get when you realize you left your homework at home or realize that your friend is talking about you behind your back. It's like a pang of disappointment and then it fizzles out into sorrow and distress.

I also have the tendency to not truly think about how I feel about certain situations. Usually my mind doesn't sort it all out until I'm trying to go to sleep, the universal place where all unhappy things come back to haunt you.

After a lot of thinking and recapping of my day, it turns out I should have been feeling unloved or unwanted at certain times. Girls exclude each other. Girls say things they shouldn't. Girls don't say things when they should.

My day wasn't totally awful, but I had a couple of rough spots that made me feel uneasy. It's funny how you can be surrounded by people and yet feel alone. I could have all the friends anybody could ever want, but I would still feel as if I was just there. Like my friends keep me around because I've there for so long. They just let me stay to be nice. Like I'm of no use in their workplace of friends, just kind of the employee that nobody wants to let go even though they are of no use anymore to the company.

I almost feel like the feeling of being unloved is merely psychological. You're friends don't really talk about you as much as you think they do. They love you more than you think they do. They want to be around you more than you think they do. The feeling is also mutual. They probably think you talk about them more than you do. They probably think you don't love them as much as you really do. In reality, both you and your friends have felt unloved by each other.

I wish I had a cure for it though. A medicine that takes away the nasty feelings of life. I don't have some simple thing that you can do. I don't have the answers, although I wish I did.

Life's getting pretty complicated. Maybe next time I should wish to become a cat.

Have a fabulous Sunday.

(More on my most recent trip later.)